plutonium

A radioactive transuranium element, plutonium is important as an ingredient in nuclear weapons and as fuel for nuclear reactors. It is produced by deuteron bombardment of uranium-238 in a cyclotron, and also exists in trace quantities in naturally occurring uranium ores. There are 16 known isotopes (plutonium-238 was discovered in 1992) of the element. Plutonium was first detected

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